Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 187: Pig Teammates Assembled

London

Receiving news of the Kingdom of Sardinia’s willingness to join the war, Prime Minister John Russell was extremely pleased. Such a sensible ally is something everyone would appreciate.

After the outbreak of the Near East War, they had supported the Ottomans, putting themselves in opposition to European public opinion. Even within Britain, many media outlets had seized on the opportunity to criticize the government.

Reality once again proved the importance of a good reputation. The Ottoman Empire’s reputation was simply too bad, and even a joint effort by Britain and France couldn’t whitewash their image.

Public opinion was just a minor issue; being on the opposite side of international public opinion was nothing new for the British. These empty cannons could only grumble, incapable of harming them whatsoever. John Russell couldn’t care less for them.

But recently, not only did Montenegro join the side of the Russians, but even Greece started making moves, as if to emphasize how unpopular their alliance with the Ottomans was.

To counter the pressure from the opposition, John Russell urgently needed to show some results and prove the correctness of this action.

With little hope for military breakthroughs, John Russell is not expecting much on that front. The chance is too slim. Relying on the 20,000 British troops on the front lines, achieving any significant results in a war with over 1 million participants is indeed questionable.

If military success is elusive, then perhaps diplomatic efforts can yield results. That’s their forte — building alliances.

They’ve done it before, countering Napoleon’s might with the cunningly constructed anti-French coalitions. While the Russian threat is substantial now, it doesn’t compare to the dire situation during the Napoleonic Wars.

Unfortunately, all European nations had wised up. Despite their attempts at coercion and temptation, countries are maintaining a stance of neutrality, refusing to be drawn into the fray.

This leaves Prime Minister John Russell with a headache. Hoping for robust support from powerful allies seems unlikely. With only a handful of major European powers, none would be foolish enough to pull chestnuts out of the fire for them.

John Russel lowered his standards. He’s content as long as there are a few enthusiastic voices waving flags in support, enough to provide some explanation to the domestic public.

“What are Sardinia’s conditions?” John Russell happily asked.

Having made up his mind, he was ready to agree as long as the terms from the Kingdom of Sardinia were not too unreasonable. To establish world hegemony, it was crucial to gather allies, and securing their loyalty often came at a price.

While they had several allies, such as Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and others, these small allies were not proving very cooperative. Without tangible benefits, they withdrew one by one.

The stance of the Kingdom of Sardinia was particularly significant. Despite their minimal military contribution, having another country vocally supporting them on the political front was crucial.

The Greeks could have filled that role, but their conflicts with the Ottoman Empire were too substantial, making reconciliation impossible.

“Sardinia’s demands are not excessive. They request the allies to purchase a batch of Sardinian goods and, at the same time, extend the repayment of loans until the end of the war,” replied Palmerston casually.

Undoubtedly, the Austro-Sardinian War failure dealt a blow to their confidence, making them more self-aware about their own strength. At this point, they dared not make extravagant demands.

John Russell further asked: “How many troops can Sardinia dispatch?”

Palmerston disdainfully said: “Two infantry regiments, barely better than nothing. Prime Minister Cavour stated that if we provide weapons and equipment and cover war expenses, they can dispatch 20,000 troops.”

John Russell chuckled: “We can agree, but we must secure command authority. Our army has yet to arrive on the battlefield, and our allies are growing discontent. Let’s use the forces of the Kingdom of Sardinia to make up the numbers for now.”

He had already figured out the Kingdom of Sardinia’s plan — seek support from Britain and France to unify Italy.

John Russell found Sardinian confidence somewhat baffling. He didn’t believe that Italy could be unified. After the Austro-Sardinian War, Sardinia’s economy directly regressed twenty years with no sign of recovery yet.

In a normal situation, they should have focused on recuperation, improved relations with Austria, and changed their diplomatic predicament.

After all, Austria held great influence over Italy presently, even establishing the Holy Roman Economic Alliance and excluded Sardinia from Italy.

To unify Italy, Austria was an unavoidable obstacle. Without defeating Austria, all their efforts would be in vain.

While it is true that the British government supports the Kingdom of Sardinia’s quest to unify Italy, this support remains mostly verbal, at most providing them with loans. Direct military intervention is out of the question.

France wants to drive out Austria from Italy, but also opposes Italian unification. If not for unforeseen events, France and Austria would have partitioned Sardinia three years ago.

No matter what, since Sardinia wished to be cannon fodder, how could they refuse?

……

Vienna

Franz kept a diary, a habit he developed after transmigrating. With a jumble of memories from his previous life, he worries about forgetting, so Franz records everything.

To maintain secrecy, the contents are coded. The world background is also replaced with a magical setting, and miscellaneous content is mixed together. Except for himself, no one can understand it.

“Your Majesty, Mr. Metternich requests an audience!” The familiar voice of maid Jenny sounded.

“Let him in!” Franz calmly said.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

……

Metternich said, “Your Majesty, the Sardinian government is testing our attitude. They are preparing to declare war on the Russians.”

To be honest, when Metternich first heard this news, he didn’t believe it at all. Sardinia, with its considerable debts, going to war with Russia was something he found hard to fathom.

Only after repeated confirmation did Metternich accept it.

Panic was unnecessary. Sardinia’s military strength is hardly noteworthy, and Austria has the most say in this matter. Such trash isn’t worth serious consideration.

However, the political implications behind it must be taken into account. In case Britain and France promised some benefits to Sardinia, which prompted their involvement in the war, that would be something to watch out for.

After some thought, Franz replied: “Since Sardinia wishes to participate in war, let’s be gracious! Convey to the Sardinian government that Austria has no objections.”

Will Sardinia’s participation in the war affect the Russo-Turkish War? It will certainly have an impact, but this influence is limited to the political sphere. Militarily, as long as they don’t cause trouble for the alliance, it should be fine.

At this moment, Franz suddenly realized that it seemed like the odds were not bad for the Russians. Despite the allied forces’ strength, three out of the four countries were known for being pig teammates. Can the French alone lead the way?

There’s no need to explain about the Ottoman Empire; their army’s combat capabilities can be judged by how they fared against the Russians on the battlefield.

The core of Sardinia’s military has been wiped out, and what remains is a group of demoralized and defeated soldiers. Expecting any significant combat capabilities from the army they’ve assembled would be unrealistic.

The British army, comparatively, has good combat capabilities. Unfortunately, their numbers are not high, their command capabilities are lacking, and they tend to let down their allies at critical moments.

On the other hand, there’s no need to consider so much about the Russians. Except for Austria, which has actual strength, the other two allies are not reliable at all.

Furthermore, in the alliance Austria is playing a supporting role. Unless the Russian forces on the front are defeated, there is simply no opportunity for Austrian troops to enter the scene, and this is determined by logistics.

Greece and Montenegro are both separated from the Russians, and there is no need to consider issues of mutual coordination, let alone worry about being betrayed.

In theory, as long as the Russians can seize the opportunity and defeat the French, they have the potential to defeat each enemy separately.

……

After receiving the news that Austria tacitly approved their actions, on July 1, 1852, the Sardinian government declared war on the Russian Empire, once again expanding the scope of the Near East War.